so much for the light show
pissing on while pissing off
sucking in a smokescreen
selling of a loose knit dream

folding up the skyline
agreeing on a steep decline
cant control this airplane
being caught is just the same
headed for a lowlife
little lover’s so polite
waking up the core needs
with smelling salts and faulty means

did the bones collide
who let the bones collide
why did the bones collide

(nikki: it’s always the same way for me
ending in the same way.)

so much for the showdown
keeping up while keeping off
choking on the cold feet
rolling up the plastic sleeves
can't control the slow ride
little lover's so polite
turning off the low light
tell me did the bones collide
the bones collide
the bones collide
little lover’s so polite
so polite
so polite
turning off the low light

(nikki: it’s always the same way for me
blue turns soft with time
broke remains, an everyday disguise
ending in the same way. . .the same way)

tell me did the bones collide
the bones collide
the bones collide
little lover’s so polite
so polite
so polite

36 Comments

General CommentThis song is absolutely amazing. This is my breakdown:
Alot of celebrations are end with a grad finale of fireworks or a "lightshow." It's what most people stick around for...to watch the sparks fly. But Brian's saying it never happened...they just pissed each other off n pissed on..moved on with their lives. The dream wasn't ever guaranteed..it was loosely knitted but still hoped for.

It's like both people in the relationship know they're a disaster without each other but they don't know how to make it happen. Instead all they know how to do is agree on a steep decline and let the airplane (their attempts) just plummet...cause who knows...if they did get together maybe it would just be the same as not - they'd still be hoping for something that's never going to be there...maybe it wasn't that they were hoping for each other. But they're waking up so much inside each other without even trying...and yet they still tip toe around one another.

Then nikki is singing about her hopelessness...and it doesnt even matter anymore because it always ends the same way..and she wouldnt know how to change it because it's always the same.

The next verse...so much for the showdown is just like the lightshow. but hes saying that theyre still trying to keep up with each other but at a distance...even though it seems to be over...they missed the opportunity to get to the next level. They're scared..like typically people would get "cold feet" before marriage...they seem to get it before getting closer to each other. They're taking their time but they both know they're taking too much time..."can't control the slow ride."

Bones collide I'm not too sure about...maybe it has to do with sex? Falling in love and becoming one? I'm not sure but I think this song is a lot like lazy eye in that it seems to be like a childish love affair. And he has this sarcasm in his voice with this song that's just beautifully placed. Like fuck it I care so much that I don't care because I don't know how to...it's always the same anyway and I'll be blue but then it'll get soft and I'll keep pretending it's all ok....cause you can't save me.

It's such a vulnerable and insecure song that you think was all about fear but there's a hopeless hopefullness that so many people know all too well.

General CommentHmmm...
Not exactly obvious stuff here, but I guess that's to be expected from Silversun Pickups!

To me, the song sounds like its the parents of a young person, in my mind its a girl but it could be either, aand the daughter has a boyfriend who she's always going on and on about, but the parents don't get why he's so great. Every time the boy meets the parents he seems nice enough, but there's no "light show" to explain why the daughter is so in love. The parent thing explains why its "little" lover, cause they still see the daughter and her boyfriend as kids... They want something more impressive for their child, something more than just politeness, and they think the relationship won't turn out right ("steep decline") and they want to bring the girl to her senses any way they can ("smelling salts and faulty means")...

The bones collide bit I also see as being about sex. ITs the parents asking each other if their daughter is having sex, and whether it was she or her boyfriend who started it, and WHY the girl wants to sleep with this guy.

Then the bit that Nikki sings is the girl trying to defend the boy, saying he's shy, and he always ends up closing up around new people ("it's always the same way") and she's frustrated that they don't see the real him that she knows. Then she tells her parents that if they give it time they'll get to know the boy and see how great he is ("blue"(a cold colour, his cold exterior)"turns soft in time") and they'll be able to see past his "everyday disguise".

General CommentI don't know about the whole cocaine thing.
But I do agree that it's about a couple, and the girlfriend is too nice, and cares too much about her lover, that she can't just help the problems they have or try to help him become a better person because she's afraid of a negative response from him.
In the line Nikki says describes how all their fights are.
Her boyfriend is probably a jerk, and she deserves better.

Actually, don't tell me if I'm wrong, I don't care. But this band is okay... I'm listening to them more than I expected so I guess I like them more than I think. For the record they sound more like My Bloody Valentine than Smashing Pumpkins or Placebo. I definitely see the Smashing Pumpkins there though. I bet capgun is the most correct so far... it seems to be a song about a couple (presumably little lovers? i.e. teenagers or something along those lines) who are too polite to say what they mean. I guess the parts about bones colliding are a reference to sex? "Tell me, did the bones collide?" It's like gossip, see? But the idea is that they're missing the point, they've removed the emotion from a relationship for fear of losing each other and all they have are colliding sacks of bones.

Song MeaningIt seems to me that this song is about sex. It's about a guy whose frustrated with the girl he's sleeping with because she's too shy about sex.

so much for the light show
(He's given up on getting off with her)
pissing on while pissing off
sucking in a smokescreen
selling of a loose knit dream
(She's kind of a tease and it's screwing with his head and he's beginning to realize he's not going to get what he wants)

folding up the skyline
(Closing the curtains)
agreeing on a steep decline
(Laying down on the bed)
cant control this airplane
(Pretty sure "airplane" is a euphemism here. He's saying he's getting too excited)
being caught is just the same
headed for a lowlife
little lover's so polite
waking up the core needs
with smelling salts and faulty means
(He's saying she gets him excited and wakes up his "core needs" by acting very sexual, but it's really just a "smokescreen." "Being caught is just the same" means that she suddenly gets turned off, just like if someone had walked in on them. Pretty sure "headed for a lowlife" is another euphemism...)

did the bones collide
who let the bones collide
why did the bones collide
(This part sounds sarcastic to me. Like he's annoyed with her for saying he's going too fast when he doesn't think so)

(nikki: it's always the same way for me
ending in the same way.)
(This could either be her saying that it always ends with her being disappointed, or just a reiteration of what he is saying)

so much for the showdown
keeping up while keeping off
choking on the cold feet
(Things come to a stop because she gets "cold feet")
rolling up the plastic sleeves
(Condom)
can't control the slow ride
(Once again, he gets too excited)
little lover's so polite
turning off the low light
(She's so shy she doesn't want the lights on)
tell me did the bones collide
the bones collide
the bones collide
little loverï¿½s so polite
so polite
so polite
turning off the low light

(nikki: it's always the same way for me
blue turns soft with time
broke remains, an everyday disguise
ending in the same way. . .the same way)

tell me did the bones collide
the bones collide
the bones collide
little loverï¿½s so polite
so polite
so polite

The rest is pretty self explanatory.

That's my take on it. I could be totally wrong. Maybe I just have a dirty mind.